"Are you open? Where do I park?"
Answers from your hours and location notes, including holidays, and texts the address.
How the receptionist worksThe week
The calls that go unanswered today
Each one is a client, a claim or a job that went to whoever picked up.
- SAT 13:20An online customer asking about pickup
The floor is slammed. The call rings out.
- TUE 10:05"Do you have this in a medium?"
A ten-second answer that decides a visit.
- THU 18:40"What time do you close?" after closing
Fifteen identical calls a week nobody should answer by hand.
- MON 11:30A vendor confirming a delivery
Missed, and the shipment sits on a dock.
Setups by size
How retail shops run Ody, at every size
Pick the shape of your business. Every feature below links to its own page; every setup is one you can build in an afternoon.
The floor comes first. The phone still gets answered
One store number that answers hours, stock and order questions.
The store number rings the app at the register; when the line is three deep, the receptionist answers hours, directions and stock questions from your notes, checks online orders in Shopify and texts the confirmation. After close it answers every call.
- AI receptionistRush overflow and after-close answering
Inside your hours the register rings first and the receptionist picks up after a few rings. Outside them it answers first ring, gives hours and takes hold and order requests for the morning.
- Shared inboxOrders from Shopify on the customer's thread
Native Shopify and WooCommerce integrations show recent orders and status next to the customer's calls and texts, so "where's my order" is answered from the thread.
- Business texting"It's back in stock" and pickup confirmations by text
Restock notices, hold confirmations and directions from the store number, replies in the customer's thread. One-time 10DLC registration at onboarding.
AI receptionist
The calls a shop gets, answered while the floor is busy.
You describe hours, location, return policy, stock notes and your pickup process. The receptionist answers from that, checks orders in Shopify and takes messages for the rest.
"Do you have it in a medium?"
Answers from the stock notes you keep in its instructions, and takes a hold request or a message for the floor when it isn't sure.
How the receptionist works"Where's my order?"
Checks the order in Shopify or WooCommerce from the customer thread and texts the status.
Shared inboxReturns and exchanges
Explains your return policy, creates a task for customer service and texts the return instructions.
Business textingDeliveries and reps
Captures the vendor, the delivery window and the question, and posts it for the manager.
How the receptionist worksAfter close and Sunday mornings
Answers first ring, gives hours, takes hold and order requests, texts back anyone who hung up.
How the receptionist worksThe record
Every customer call next to their orders.
Voicemail transcripts are on every plan. On Growth and above, recorded calls are transcribed and summarized into the customer, the request and what they were told. Shopify and WooCommerce orders sit on the same thread.
- Shopify and WooCommerce orders on the customer thread, natively
- Voicemail transcripts on every plan
- Recording, transcript and AI summary on every answered call on an enabled line
- Search by customer, order number or phrase
Call summaryGenerated by Ody
- Caller
- Online customer · +1 (512) 555-0811 · order 4471
- Request
- Pick up online order in store instead of shipping.
- Told
- Order not yet shipped; store open until 6:00 PM. Hold placed. Address and confirmation texted.
- Next action
- Store to hold order 4471 at the counter for ~4:00 PM pickup.
Your stack
Works with the tools a shop already runs on
Commerce and email tools connect natively. POS systems are reached through Make, webhooks or the REST API.
- ShopifyNativeIntegration
orders and status on the customer thread
- WooCommerceNativeIntegration
orders and status on the customer thread
- Klaviyo, MailchimpNativeIntegration
customers who opt in added to your list
- StripeNativeIntegration
payment status on the customer thread
- Lightspeed, Square, CloverMake, webhooks or APIAPI docs
Push call summaries and hold requests via Make or the REST API webhooks
- MakeNativeIntegration
connect the rest of your stack
Browse all 43 integrations, or connect anything else through Make and the REST API.
Rollout
Live in an afternoon, not a quarter
No hardware, no consultant, no call-flow diagram. Four steps and the line is answered.
- 01
Port the store number
The one on Google and the door. Porting is free and the old line keeps working until cutover.
- 02
Describe the shop
Hours, location, parking, return policy, stock notes, pickup process. Plain sentences.
- 03
Connect Shopify or WooCommerce
A few clicks; orders appear on customer threads and the receptionist can answer order questions.
- 04
Read a week of transcripts
Add the questions customers actually ask, then let the receptionist take more of the rush.
Resources
Guides for retail shops
The concepts behind this setup, explained without the jargon.
What businesses need to know about shared numbersHow one number rings a whole team, why the carrier still sees a single DID, and where shared lines beat extensions and separate direct numbers.Read guide What businesses need to know about 10DLCHow US carriers treat A2P SMS on local numbers: brand registration, campaign registration, third-party vetting, and the throughput that follows.Read guide What businesses need to know about toll-free numbersHow 8XX numbers are assigned, what a RespOrg does in SMS/800, and why a vanity 800 is still just a routing record.Read guide
FAQ
Retail shops: common questions
More industries
Also in local & hospitality, and nearby
Businesses whose busiest hour is when nobody can pick up.
Local & hospitalityRestaurantsReservation and takeout calls answered during the Friday rush, hours and menus by text.Local & hospitalitySalons & spasBooking calls answered mid-blowout, reminders texted, no-shows down.Local & hospitalityFitness studios & gymsTrial-class calls booked during the 6am rush, membership questions answered, front desk freed.Local & hospitalityAuto repair shops"Is my car ready?" answered, estimates approved by text, every call recorded.Local & hospitalityHotels & vacation rentalsGuest calls answered at check-in time, lockout texts at midnight, international guests reached for $5/mo.Tech & commerceEcommerce brands"Where's my order?" answered from Shopify, support texts in Gorgias, one number for the brand.
Comparing options? Ody vs Google Voice · Ody vs Grasshopper · Ody vs OpenPhone
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